That's my point exactly though.  We have set no goals to advance us further.  In the 60's it was to beat the Russians to point A, then B, and then C...all the way to the moon.  Now it's just...hey will this old piece of technology that the administrator head of NASA says shouldn't have even been invented going to blow up?  What are the effects of weightlessness on ants?  All the advances are mostly for the "When we finally get our butts in gear to explore again this is what we're going to have to deal with."

There's an old Roman saying "If a man knows not what port he sails to, no wind is favorable".  That is what our space program has become.  Sure we can spend billions on pork spending, we can "loose" a few billion dollars in cash we send to Iraq, we can illegally take taxes away from people to pay off an illegal national debt...but we can't give NASA the funding to revamp our entire space system.  Now that we know more about different types of fuels...let's actually fund them to work in our spaceships...then it will come down to us in our cars.  That is, of course, when we don't play politics and oil keeps the slope slippery for certain people...that and blood.

Each 10 years let's try another...I want this goal set and let's get some science students through college with this money so they can come work for us.  There's just so many plans if we wanted to take science and progress seriously.  We've basically reverted back to the 1950's where we're just sending up rockets into space and going...oooo and "someday there will be casinos on the moon!"

AND FLYING CARS THAT DRIVE THEMSELVES!

X

Again...NASA would love to do a lot of things...the head of NASA right now is that man who is doing all he can and he would be the perfect head to get things in gear.  However, there is no govt or country backing him and NASA.  There is no demand from us to "go to Mars within 10 years" no government saying "let's see what NASA can develop if we try to terraform part of the moon"

Saying we're going to the moon in 2020 is like saying in the 1950s...by the year 2000 we'll be living on the moon.

X

Still...when JFK said it we had more on the line than just "because it's there" mantra.  We wanted to beat the Russians.  Also NASA had huge support from the politicians and the people.  Now the only time we see a shuttle launch is if something goes wrong or a launch just after something goes wrong.  Americans have become the "been there done that" people no one could have imagined in the 60's.  Although it's a circular problem.  NASA is having trouble because the people aren't that interested and the people aren't that interested because NASA doesn't have more support.

NASA works on morale the same as the military men and women do.  Without support...why fight.  Oh sure...put up some time tables...but if we don't make them...meh...it's not like we're going to get fired or anything.

X

Well the moon landings got boring because they were doing the same things again and again...not to mention it was more of the media than the people who got bored with the moon landings.  I think why they stopped going to the moon was because they didn't find anything cool (although if you believe some conspiracy theories we did find some alien ships there).

Yes NASA does a lot of stuff with what little they have to work with...and exploration is great...but why not try sending people out there to do the testing.  Only 50 of the 243 active astronauts get to go into space in their career.  You think they worked that hard to sit around and do nothing?  Science for the sake of science is great but if we just keep sending the same technology to different places we're only going to get one good aspect out of it...the science...and not the advancement of technology and understanding.  So yes, I want something new...even the people at NASA do.  When the head director of your space program says that their main mode of transportation is not only obsolete but shouldn't have been built in the first place...you better believe him and his staff want change.

As for skunkworks look at all the good it has done us (besides reverse engineering alien technology).  We got the B2 and the SR71 and the F117A out of it...and we discontinue the production (under Clinton).  I don't see UFOs fighting in Iraq and I don't see ones with NASA stickers flying to Mars and back.  Plus I can imagine a purple money that dispenses Mountain Dew in a can and nerds in box...they didn't produce THAT did they?  Noooooo.

NASA hater?  I wish we'd defund the entire war and but those 80 billion dollars into NASA.  At least it would be worth something.  Umm...the moon has WMDs!  We need to conquer it and build a permanent base there!  Al Qaeda is there too arming the resistance!

X

Me - NASA has no real goals and needs support and money

You - NASA has 2 goals and needs support and money.

No arguing...just a few disagreements.

Good discussion!

X

I would love to see private companies do more with space...yet no one has the money or is willing to fork it over.  Investments and stock markets demand from companies that they make a profit in as little time as possible.  You would have to wait a bit longer than most people want to to develop new technologies and patent it for profit.  With the government at the helm they can raise the revenue needed and don't have to worry about share holders.  Shoot I'd fork over my 25 cents that goes to the UN to NASA any day of the week.

I'm always for government to get out of the lives of people...yet I can't see any company, corporation, entity, or persons willing to shell out millions of dollars and not expect an immediate return on their investments.

X

That's exactly my point.  At the moment, there's no real incentive to travel to another planet on the other side of the solar system.  Private industry won't touch it because there's nothing in it for them except huge R&D costs.

If the planet was dying (thanks, Mr. Gore) and we had to escape to survive, I'd be all for government intervention in Space Race II, but at this point I see absolutely no reason why the .Gov should spend money on this.

Quote:


If by "raise the money" you mean "print the fiat money from thin air" or "borrow money from China," I fully agree with you.

-b0b
(...shrugs.)